Elly Math

On the schedule, it was a three-miler today, so you know what that means: Elly got to come!! Yeah!!! It was a beautiful but quite chilly morning: PERFECT for a run for both of us!

Okay, so, you know I've introduced the More-Money-Than-Miles desired running outcome, right? Well, I didn't; PC#3 did, and he happily reminds me of when I've met the desired outcome or -- my favorite -- when I need to find a quarter while I run. Because that's how it works, right? I'd so love that kind of control, buuuuuut ...

Anyway, while there was no money today (drat!), Elly picked up where my hopeful outcome left off and reminded me of her kind of math. It's called: More Potty Stops Than Miles.

"I am a beast of great philosophies, and one
of my favorites is: A girl's gotta go when
a girl's gotta go. You should understand
that, mommy."

To be honest, had it not been for her continued desire or need to pull off to the side, the run itself would have been pretty ho-hum. Interesting to me is that she kept picking the most public places to go. Yes, yes, we were already in public, and, yes, I do get that she's a dog. But, pulling over right in front of the line of traffic waiting at a red light -- not once but twice -- just made me giggle. She wasn't hunkered behind a bush the other two times, either, so let's face it, she was claiming this route in the name of all that is good.

Here she shows you she can also be a bit of a diva when she insisted on getting on the sidewalk even though that sidewalk stretch is only about 10 feet long (so I don't bother) and the street we're on is plenty wide. But, whatever.

"What's excellent is that in another mile, I'm going to hop off
of the sidewalk and run in the street because it makes you wig
a little bit when I do it, mommy. It's a game I play."

For all of the extras that came along with bringing her today, I'm so glad I got to. It's been a while!!

We've still got it!

Clearly, it's been a while since she ran as Elly immediately staked her position when she got home.

"I am simply exhausted, and, by the way, don't even think I'm
going to read those magazines. I just did the actual running, I
really don't need to read about it."

Okay, with just 4 days 'til the big run, I have to share with you my most unexpected running-related injury:

See it? In case you don't:

That's right ... That's a paper cut!! I got it looking through the email we were sent and needed to print out to take to the Expo to pick up our race packets!! Seriously, that hurt worse than stepping off that curb a couple of weeks ago! Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ...

And, yup, I said Expo. As in, big gathering for vendors to indulge and entice the running enthusiast. I'm totally going to be that person looking at stuff and not having any idea of what it is I'm looking at or why it should interest me. I'm not saying I shouldn't be interested (and I kind of am), and I'm not saying there won't be items of benefit. I'm saying I'm still that clueless about all of the products out there not to mention a little bit stubborn about learning about them. I'm also one to go into heavy duty sticker shock over the price of most specialty items, but that's another issue entirely.

Anyway, it's at the Expo where I'm to get my stuff. That is so different from walking in to the local sporting goods store and standing in line for a few minutes to get my bib and shirt. But, check this out, I also learned that this particular run is an official Boston qualifier. (Yeah, look for my name on that list ... hahahahaha!) I have to admit when I learned that, I did think it was cool. There's a whole different vibe when a run is produced as a big event vs. one that is more locally executed. While I'm all about the small venues, I have to admit that I intentionally sought a bigger one for this run. Big miles: Big Event. That's my desired ratio!

One more training run to go. I'm not sure how that happened, but it's here!!